3 new teams with loads of tradition
September 25, 2021 — the day the European League of Football officially turned from a promising idea into a full-blown movement.
Just before the first-ever ELF Championship Game kicked off, the league dropped a triple bombshell:
Rhein Fire, Vienna Vikings, and Raiders Tirol were joining the party for the 2022 season.
And suddenly, everyone knew — this wasn’t just a German experiment anymore. This was Europe catching football fever.
Teams 2022
- Berlin Thunder (Berlin)
- Hamburg Sea Devils (Hamburg)
- Leipzig Kings (Leipzig)
- Panthers Wrocław (Wrocław)
- Frankfurt Galaxy (Frankfurt)
- Cologne Centurions (Köln)
- Barcelona Dragons (Reus/Spanien)
- Stuttgart Surge (Stuttgart)
- Rhein Fire (Duisburg)
- Raiders Tirol (Innsbruck)
- Vienna Vikings (Vienna)
Rhein Fire: The Phoenix Rises
The return of Rhein Fire hit fans right in the nostalgia. The legendary name from NFL Europe’s glory days was back, ready to light up Düsseldorf again. The logo, the flame, the energy — it was like someone had poured gasoline on the old NFL Europe spark and struck a fresh match.
Austria Enters the Arena
Then came the Austrian invasion. The Vienna Vikings and Raiders Tirol, two of the most decorated football dynasties on the continent, decided it was time to play on a bigger stage.
For years, these two had ruled the Austrian Football League — now they were stepping into a pan-European league, ready to test themselves against the best.
Their arrival didn’t just raise the bar — it rewrote what “elite” meant in the ELF.
A League Reborn
In one weekend, the ELF’s future exploded into color.
Old flames reignited. New rivals entered the fray. Fans suddenly realized that this wasn’t just a league — it was a movement.
Looking back, that September day feels like the spark that turned into a wildfire — spreading fast, bright, and impossible to ignore.
